It's Just an Act, Right?
by StarryNightxoxo
Summary: A drop-dead gorgeous stranger who is also stinking rich asks- forces, actually-  a homeless, jobless and boyfriend-less Mikan to impersonate his runaway fiancée since they look similar. It's just a stupid job and game, right? Or is it not? MxN. AU. CURRENTLY ON HIATUS.
1. Too Many Surprises

**Author's Note: **I wanted to try writing a MikanXNatsume fanfic that is not a oneshot :) But I have to admit, my ideas are rather cliche, so sad :(

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Gakuen Alice, and I never will.

**It's Just an Act, Right?**

**Chapter 1: Too Many Surprises**

_Who am I? It's an idiot-proof question, I know, but somehow I can't answer it._

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><p><strong>Mikan's POV<strong>

_'Miss Sakura, I wish to express my greatest apologies to you. I did not want to do this, but this is really my last resort. Your possessions have all been placed outside your apartment. Please pick them up as soon as possible and please do not bother to contact me. I will not listen to your pleas about letting you pay your rent as soon as you have the money. _

_Yours sincerely,_

_Jinno (Landlord)'_

I stared blankly at the slip of paper pasted on the front door of my apartment. Oh, wait, it should be 'of my _ex-_apartment'. Boxes filled with my possessions (my books, shoes and clothes, but honestly, I don't have much of those) were dumped outside the apartment. My polka-dotted suitcase looked like it had been hurled on top of the boxes. _'Placed _outside your apartment'? Oh, please, it was more like _'thrown and possibly kicked out of your apartment'._ That landlord was such a cow. A horrible, bad-tempered, crabby cow. I inhaled sharply, screwed up the slip of paper into a ball and hurled it at the apartment's door. Feeling humiliated, I picked up the handle of my suitcase. How in the world was I going to carry all that stuff? It wasn't as if I was an octopus with eight legs!

In the end, I managed to balance two boxes on top of my suitcase and carry the others tucked under my other arm. I felt dizzy and groggy and pissed, walking under the boiling sun with my arms full of luggage. I knew I was attracting many stares from by-passers, and I felt my face burn. It wasn't my fault I was fired and couldn't pay my rent, was it? Was it? That bitch Sumire Shouda stole my job! I felt my eyes prick with tears, with the injustice of it all. I was a pathetic homeless woman; jobless, homeless, boyfriend-less and everything-less. I had _nothing. _To my horror, tears were streaming down my face. _Great, just great. _Now besides being jobless and homeless, not to mention boyfriend-less, I was a 24-year-old woman with bloodshot eyes and a face streaked with dried tears. I struggled along the streets, clutching my luggage in my hands. I had no idea where I was headed. I didn't even have a home to go back to. My parents died when I was young.

"Oh, God, please help me!" I muttered out loud, looking up at the sky.

The sun almost blinded me.

"Please... help... me..." I murmured, and suddenly the world spun around me and turned pitch-black.

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><p>I struggled to open my eyes, but my eyelids felt heavy. I finally managed to peel my eyes open, but the world was still spinning, so I shut them again. What happened, exactly? Was I mugged? Oh God, that must be it! The mugger must have hit my head with a baseball bat or something. Ow.<p>

"Misaki-san? Are you awake?" a female voice said.

My eyes flew open and I jumped up as though I had been scalded. A pretty girl of about 20 with shoulder-length black hair and mesmerising crimson eyes was standing in front of me, a concerned look on her face. Instinctively, I glanced around and inhaled sharply. Where in the world was I? Behind me was an expensive-looking cream-coloured couch which I had been lying on. The room I was in was posh and modern. There was a wall with ceiling-to-floor windows and the floor was carpeted in black. There was a king-sized black and white bed on a raised platform and a glass-topped study table in a corner.

_Okay, this must be a freaky dream, _I tried to convince myself. _Or else, how would I end up in this posh place with a pretty stranger calling me... what was it again? Oh, right, Misaki. _

I twisted the flesh on my arm and yelped in pain. So it wasn't a dream. I tried not to freak out.

"Um, excuse me, but... you must have made a mistake. I have no idea where I am and who you are," I managed to say.

The girl's eyes widened in horror. "Misaki-san, did you have a concussion or something? Are you suffering from amnesia? Oh my! We must get Dr. Yamada here as soon as possible!"

"No," I answered, confused. "Seriously, I'm not... Misaki. I'm Mikan Sakura."

The girl stared at me as the way Abraham Lincoln might have stared at an astronaut. "Oh dear! You must have hit your head pretty hard!"

I gritted my teeth in frustration. "I'm telling you, I'm Mikan Sakura and there's no mistake about that. I'm not suffering from amnesia or anything. I just fainted from heat stroke or something while walking in the streets and when I wake up, I find myself in a room with a stranger who keeps telling me that I'm suffering from amnesia and that I'm Misaki, whoever she is!"

I panted slightly from the long rant. The girl blinked a few times.

"But, if you're Misaki-san, you don't have to pretend! I won't tell my brother that you were here! You can confide in me, and tell me why you chose to leave my brother! I will try to get him to change, really, I promise you!"

"For God's sake, I am not Misaki! And I have no idea what the hell you're talking about!" I snapped in frustration.

I stuck my hand into my pocket defensively and whipped out my wallet. I guess I was not mugged, then. I pulled out my identity card and shoved it under the girl's nose.

"There, you see? Mikan Sakura and not Misaki," I said triumphantly.

The girl crossed her arms across her chest and frowned. "Oh, I must have made a mistake then. I'm extremely sorry. But you know, your face looks exactly like Misaki-san's, except for your hair... Anyway, I found you on the streets unconscious and just brought you back here, thinking that you were Misaki-san. She's my elder brother's fiance, you know. I mean, she _was_."

"Was?" I wondered aloud.

The girl nodded and flopped onto the cream-coloured couch, gesturing for me to sit beside her. "Yeah. Oh, and by the way, my name is Aoi Hyuuga. Nice to meet you. So, anyway, Misaki-san _was _my brother, Natsume's fiancée, until she ran away a couple of weeks ago. We never heard from her ever since."

"That's kinda sad," I mumbled.

"It is," Aoi shrugged. "The trouble is, Natsume-nii doesn't care. Not even a single bit. And I can tell he's _not_ pretending that he couldn't care less. I know him inside-out, practically, though sometimes I really can't tell what's going on in that head of his."

"Aoi!" a deep voice suddenly boomed out and the doors to Aoi's room burst open. "What the hell is going on? I heard from one of the maids that you've brought Harada here."

A drop-dead-gorgeous guy around my age was standing at the door. He was clad in a long-sleeved black T-shirt faintly showing his abs and faded blue jeans. His features were the closest thing to flawless I've ever seen and he had beautiful but slightly scary crimson eyes and tousled, jet-black hair. Just one thing that stops him from being best-boyfriend-material-ever: _his mouth, _which was curled downwards in an annoyed way. His ruby eyes flickered past Aoi and rested on me skeptically. Spots of red appeared in my cheeks and I had to drop my eyes from his too-intense gaze.

"Natsume-nii, they made a mistake. _I_ made a mistake," Aoi retorted, rolling her eyes. "Although Sakura-san here might look the spitting image of Misaki-san, but she's not Misaki-san."

"Oh?" Natsume's eyes narrowed. He stared at me intensely. Well, more like glared, actually. "Come with me, young lady over there."

"What?" I gasped. How dare he order me about!

Natsume walked up to me and grabbed my arm, dragging me up from the couch.

"Natsume-nii!" Aoi protested, but Natsume shot her a death glare and she shut up, giving me an apologetic smile. "Don't worry, he won't hurt you," she mouthed to me.

Natsume dragged me from the room and down a long hallway. The walls on either side of me were decorated with a few framed pictures and paintings. He pushed open a heavy wooden door at the end of the hallway. The room was his office, I supposed. There was a big, smooth black table facing away from the glass wall and three bookshelves piled with thick books against another wall. Framed diplomas, certificates, pictures and whatnot were hung above the bookshelves and the other walls. He pointed to a black swivel chair which was facing the glass wall in front of the huge desk and commanded me to sit. Reluctantly, I sank down onto the soft black leather. He threw himself into a matching chair on the opposite of the mahogany desk and placed his elbows on the desk, leaning forward.

"What's your name?" he asked in a husky voice.

"M-Mikan Sakura..." I answered, enthralled by those scarlet orbs of his and slightly frightened. What was he going to do to me? Why was I even here in the first place?

"Age?"

"24."

"Hn, same as me," Natsume rolled his eyes and he leaned back in his chair. "I saw a whole bunch of luggage in the living room. Polka-dotted suitcases. Do they, by any chance, belong to you?"

"Uh, yeah."

"I reckoned. I mean, polka-dots? How matching for an immature girl like you," he smirked.

"What?" I gaped at him.

"Oh, shut up. I won't beat about the bush, then. I'll just tell you what I want you to do," Natsume said as he rooted about inside the drawers of his desk and pulled out a slightly dusty colour print. He pushed it across the table to me.

I picked it up and studied it. It was a photograph of a pretty pink-haired girl who was around my age. She was sitting on a tree trunk and smiling at the camera, but I could tell that the smile did not reach her eyes. It probably took her a lot of effort to put it there. I'd always been rather sensitive to things like that. Also, she really looked _a lot _like me. No wonder Aoi mistook me for her initially.

"Who is this, and why are you showing me her photo?" I inquired.

"She's Misaki Harada, my... ex-fiancée," Natsume said slowly. "And I'll tell you the reason soon, be patient."

"O...kay...?" I said doubtfully. "Aoi told me about her. She said that she ran away a few weeks ago."

"Yeah. Glad that you know that. That means I don't have to waste my precious time explaining all these to you." He leaned back in his chair. "I want you, no, I _need _you to impersonate Misaki."

My jaw almost fell off my face. "You want _me _to impersonate _her?_"

"Do you have a hearing problem?" the raven-haired dude rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I said that, didn't I? And I feel no need to explain it to an idiot like you. I'll tell you the reason when I feel like it, but right now, I don't. Get that through that thick head of yours. Don't say anything unless I tell you to, is that clear?"

I nodded, still too stunned to open my mouth to protest.

"Good. Judging from all those luggage you were carrying, you're homeless, aren't you?"

Once again, I nodded.

"Very good."

Did I just hear him correctly? _Very good? _Who says that to someone when he's told that the person is homeless? Well, I guessed that a blasted sadist like Natsume Hyuuga would.

"If you agree to impersonate Harada... scratch that, _when _you agree to impersonate her, you will no longer be homeless. You'll live in this house, because she used to live here too. And you heard that right, I'm not giving you a choice. You have to agree, or else you'll get it," he ended in a dangerous voice. "Also, if you agree, you'll have loads of benefits besides getting to live in this state-of-the-art mansion. You'll get a well-paid job, more... feminine clothes..." He glanced at my outfit from head to toe and smirked when he said the word 'feminine'. I blushed. I was clad in a white T-shirt and shorts.

"Well, you'll get to know more about this whole thing as this little pretense goes on, so don't get your panties in a twist about it," Natsume dead-panned. "Like I said, you _have _to do this. You don't have a choice."

"What if I don't want to?" I challenged.

He just smirked and pulled out a stiff rectangular card from a card holder on his desk. I took it from him gingerly and my eyes just about popped out of their sockets. Vice-CEO of... HyuugaRashi Co.? HyuugaRashi was a big, scratch that, humungous company which manufactures electrical products. It was like the most famous brand of electrical products ever. Well, I had a oven manufactured by them in my old apartment, now that I thought about it. But I'd rather not think about that stupid apartment and that idiotic landlord who deserved a good kick in his groin.

"We have connections. If you don't want to, well, I'll make sure you become a wanted man, or rather, woman, and drive you into a corner until you agree to," Natsume shot back in a I'm-the-boss-and-you-listen-to-me voice.

"You're blackmailing me?" I stared at him.

"Do people who are blackmailed get to live in a huge house, have maids wait on them and a high-paying job?" he asked in a fake innocent voice.

I cursed under my breath. "Fine, okay? Jeez, just don't make me wanted all over the country. I don't want to be a fugitive on the run." _Well, it sounds great, anyway, no matter how crazy it is, _I reasoned with myself. _I don't have to worry about having no home and job now, right?_

"This is the only thing coming out of your mouth that I agree with," Natsume said, a grin tugging at his lips. "Stubborn, childish girl."

I was about to retort that he was a blackmailing jerk when he suddenly snapped his fingers and removed a small, black velvet jewellery box from a drawer. He pushed it towards me and commanded me to open it. Carefully, I opened it to reveal a beautiful diamond ring nestled in a nest of black satin. It was a princess-cut twist engagement ring. It was absolutely stunning.

"It was Harada's engagement ring. She left it behind. I guess she's not a greedy woman," I heard Natsume say in a monotonous voice.

"W-Wow, it's beautiful," I breathed.

"Is it?" Natsume rolled his eyes. "That's what Harada said. You two have pretty much the same personalities. Idiotic, clumsy, always smiling like there's no tomorrow, stubborn."

I was too mersmerised by the ring to argue with that jerk.

"What are you waiting for, idiot? Put it on," he sighed.

"M-Me?" I looked up at him, my eyes widening. I really had had too many surprises that day.

"Duh," Natsume snapped, as if it was the most obvious thing ever. "You're now my fiancée, aren't you?"

"B-But we're just pretending..."

"So what? All the more you should wear it, right? God, you're really an idiot," my fake fiancé muttered as he lifted himself from his chair and walked over to me. He removed the exquisite ring from its bed of satin, bent down, lifted my left hand and slipped the ring onto my ring finger. It fitted perfectly, as though it was always meant to be there. _This is just an act, _I reminded myself. I felt all giddy. During the morning of a perfectly normal (but it turned out to be otherwise) Saturday morning, I was thrown out of my apartment by my goddamned landlord, and by the end of it, I got... engaged (I found it so hard to process that word in my brain) to a drool-worthy rich young man. And okay, he was a rude and sadistic jackass.

"Hm, it fits you. Good, I don't have to waste time getting the size changed then." Natsume nodded in approval. "As I said, my time is very precious and I'm a busy man. I'll talk about this in detail with you tomorrow, including what you have to do. If you have any questions, ask them tomorrow. I've got the maids to bring your stuff to Harada's room. It's on the right of Aoi's room. You can use and wear whatever stuff in that room, it's all yours now. I might pop over later, if I have time. Now go."

I nodded, still in a daze. "Um, Natsume? Thank you very much. I was a wreck, I didn't know where to go and what to do. I was even planning to sleep on the streets, honestly. I thought I was going to end up as a beggar. I was jobless and homeless, but err, you helped me out. So, thanks." I finally managed to blurt out and smiled at him.

"You did me a favour too," he admitted grudgingly. "And good that you've managed to remember my name... Mikan..."

My eyes widened again, but I smiled softly. I'd had so many surprises that day that I should be immune to them already. My face turned a little pink. I'd noticed that he called Misaki-san 'Harada', but why did he call me by my first name?

"Um, sure, no problem," I said easily. _No problem? Right, as if posing as someone you've never even met is a mere 'no problem' task. _But I wasn't complaining, seriously. Natsume really did me a huge favour. I would try my very best to help him out, even though I didn't know why I was doing it. But he was going to tell me, right? And who would ask a stranger to pose as his fiancée if he wasn't desperate enough to do it? All the more I should help him.

I beamed at him and walked out of the room to 'my' room. I wondered whether I'd wake up and find that this was all a dream. And I had no idea whether I wanted this to be a dream or not.

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><p>That's it for the first chapter. :) Please tell me what you think by reviewing, pretty please? I need to know whether I should continue this. :3 Also, I know that Mikan and Misaki probably don't look alike, but there's this chapter in the manga where Misaki poses as Mikan to cover for her, right? So yeah, I decided Misaki is probably the one who looks the most similar to Mikan ^^ Don't hesitate to point out my errors as well. :)<p> 


	2. Getting into Character

**Author's Note: **Thank you for the reviews for the first chapter, I love you guys. ^^ And of course I'd continue this story. Even if someone told me that this story sucks and I shouldn't continue it, I'd do it anyway. :P I'd feel like a loser if I left a story incomplete.

**Reply to 1stReviewer (Anonymous)**: Like I said, I think Misaki is the one who looks the most like Mikan. :)

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Gakuen Alice or any of its characters.

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><p><strong>It's Just an Act, Right?<strong>

**Chapter 2: Getting into Character**

_Who am I? It's an idiot-proof question, I know, but somehow I can't answer it._

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><p><strong>Mikan's POV<strong>

Misaki-san's room was definitely awesome, a hundred- no, a thousand times more awesome than my old room. The walls were painted in shades of ivory, giving the room a refreshing feel. It was as stylish and huge as Aoi's room. There was a modern canopy bed against a wall with an elegant wood wall covering and the bed faced a 42-inch plasma TV mounted on the opposite wall. Below the TV was a white TV console with the drawers filled with CDs and DVDs.

Suddenly, Natsume's snide voice popped into my head. '_And you'll have more... feminine clothes...' _He did mention something about Misaki-san's clothes. Curious, I walked over to the built-in wardrobe which occupied one whole wall. Who in the world needed so many clothes? I slid the glass doors aside and immediately, a small light came on inside the wardrobe. I blinked as I stared at the row of assorted blouses, pants, shorts, skirts- you name it, the wardrobe pretty much contained it. I wondered why Misaki-san didn't pack her clothes when she decided to leave. How weird. Any other woman would have emptied this entire room if they she wanted to leave, which was weird in the first place. I mean, who would even want to leave a mansion like this?

The marble-topped counters in my _own _bathroom were cluttered with little glass jars, pots, make-up and the works. I was on such a high that all these belonged to me- pathetic little Mikan Sakura- that I burst into a fit of giggles. Anyone watching me would think that I had a screw loose up there, but seriously, I just felt like laughing. I sank down onto the cushioned stool in front of the huge white dressing table and studied the photo frames adorning it. There was a photograph of Natsume and Misaki-san- Natsume was scowling, I hate to admit this but, adorably at the camera while the pink-haired girl beside him was sticking her tongue out playfully in the picture. She looked so carefree and happy, I wondered why she would want to leave Natsume in the first place.

A loud knock on the door jolted me out of my thoughts. I glanced into the mirror and ran my fingers through my hair in an attempt to make it at least presentable.

"Come in!" I called, trying to sound as natural as possible.

Natsume was leaning against the door frame, an annoyed look plastered onto his annoyingly handsome face. He was wearing a grey hoodie and faded jeans- his pyjamas, I assumed. He still looked pretty darn hot in his baggy casual clothes, not that I'd ever admit it to him.

"Oi, I need to speak to you," he said.

"My name is not _Oi,_" I replied matter-of-factly, staring at my reflection in the mirror and pretending that my face was so fascinating- make-up-less, brown hair all messed up like a scarecrow's, sleepy eyes- and that I'd rather look at my own boring face than the hottie in front of me. Yeah, right.

"Whatever, Polka Dots. And mind you, Harada doesn't talk to me like that. She's, like, scared of me. So you'd better start getting into character," Natsume spit out.

"I'm currently compiling a folder containing information on Harada, from what she has for breakfast everyday to what her occupation is for a certain pig." Natsume rattled on, like a boring old teacher nobody really listens to.

"Occupation?" I blurted out in horror, totally ignoring the fact that he called me a pig. "I... I was a receptionist back at my old company, I don't really know anything else!"

"Oh, yeah? What a coincidence. Harada was a receptionist at Igarashi's Law Firm." Natsume rolled his eyes.

"Law firm?" I repeated, confused. Didn't Natsume's parents own a company producing electrical appliances.

"Igarashi's Law Firm is my mom's own law firm," he sighed impatiently. Jeez, he should really take some mediation classes or whatever. He seriously needed to chill a little. A lot, actually. "HyuugaRashi Co. is my dad's company, he just included Mom's maiden name in the company's name."

Wow. His parents had two separate companies? Seriously, wow.

"Now that we're on the topic of my mom, I should tell you the reason you're doing this too. My mother likes- no, loves- Harada a lot, maybe even more than she loves me, not that I care. I need to give her time to let her get used to the fact that Harada left. She's now in New York for work and she'll be back in about two weeks. How do you think she'd feel if she found out that her beloved Harada has left, after a freaking long ride in the plane and a stressful month in a foreign country? Not so good. That's why I got you to impersonate Harada. Also, I need you to start rehearsing tomorrow. My mother's very observant, you have to do it well, meaning rehearse every single day, or else you'll mess up," Natsume said.

Would I be impersonate Misaki-san forever, then? I felt ill just thinking about that.

As if he could read my mind, Natsume continued in a bored tone, "You're not doing it forever, tch. Perhaps for four months or so only. After you get your butt out of my life and house, you deal with your own stuff. After this, we'll go our own ways."

"Fine, whatever," I grimaced. "Now can you get out? I want to sleep now."

"Whatever." Natsume got onto his feet and strode to the door. He paused and told me, "Just one thing. The stuff in your luggage probably wouldn't do you any good. You could chuck them or shove them into the back of the wardrobe, but make sure to wear Harada's clothes. When I'm done with the file, read it so carefully that you'd be able to recite the stuff in your dreams. If you don't, I'll make sure you have a hard time. I'll see you tomorrow."

As soon as he'd left, I took a warm shower and used Misaki-san's shampoo, just to make sure I had that Misaki-san scent or something. I also decided to wear one of the satin nighties I found in the wardrobe. I chose a white satin slip dress that ended at my knees. The soft and cool material felt weird against my skin- it was comfortable, sure, but I just wasn't used to it. I had always worn sweatshirts and cotton pants to bed. Sighing, I flopped down onto _my _bed- I still couldn't believe it was mine- and flipped off the lights, trying to get some sleep.

Okay, so I didn't have to try very hard. I drifted into sleep in about three seconds.

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><p>I stared at the big brown envelope in my hands incredulously. I was in Natsume's office the next morning, washed and dressed in my own sweater and jeans. Natsume had taken a look at me and went, "If you look like this when my mom is around, get ready to buy a polka-dotted coffin for yourself." The nerve of him!<p>

Anyway, he'd just handed me an envelope that he claimed contained all I had to know about Misaki-san. I didn't exactly believe in him. How could someone do that much in just one day? Well, less than a day, actually. I peeled open the envelope carefully, feeling as if I was holding on to some classified information. I pulled out a whole stack of papers and my eyes practically popped out of their sockets.

"Impressed?" Natsume smirked.

"Don't flatter yourself," I murmured, my eyes glued to the information laid out in front of me.

"I'm not. I do feel very impressed with myself, if I may say so. I even gathered information about you."

I looked up, gasping a little. "You did?"

"Who do you think I am?" he rolled his eyes. "You're Mikan Sakura, 24 years old. Your position at your previous company was replaced by some woman named Sumire Shouda. Your father and mother died when you were 3 and 8 respectively. You have a stepfather, whom your mother remarried when you were 5. His name is Shiki Masachika. Am I correct?"

I gritted my teeth and nodded reluctantly. "But I don't really get in touch with Shiki-san much. We just exchange phone calls once every month. We're not that close, but he's okay, really. He loved my mom a lot, you know..." I had to stop because I suddenly felt my eyes blur slightly with tears at the reminder of my mother.

"Anyway, let's get down to business," Natsume said briskly, as though I hadn't spoken. "Get up."

Blinking away my tears, I got up to my feet and followed Natsume out of the office. We trudged down the stairs and out to a garage where a few branded cars were parked. Natsume jabbed on his car key, and the lights of a red Porsche flashed. Rich brat, indeed. I climbed into the car, careful not to rip anything. With all the money that I had left, I couldn't even begin to pay if I spoiled anything.

We sat in silence while Natsume drove along the streets.

"Um, where are we going?" I asked, mostly just to break the silence. I wasn't someone who could stand these awkward silences.

"A shop," he answered shortly.

"For?"

"You seem to have many questions," Natsume commented with a tone that implied that he thought the conversation was about as interesting as algebra or a slug. "You'll see, don't be such a nosey parker."

I shot him a glare and remained silent all the way. Finally, Natsume parked the car in a parking lot outside a store, _Miki's Wigs,_ which had a pink awning.

"The wig had better fit that head of yours. I don't want to step into this shop anymore, ever. It looks so tacky and girlish. But apparently they do almost perfect custom wigs." Natsume looked at the pink store with distaste, his nose screwed up a little.

I stifled a laugh. Who knew he had an adorable side to him too? Oh, wait. How could that devil have a cute side? I must be in denial because of all the pink. As we entered the store through the glass doors, a tiny jingle sounded. A woman who looked like she was in her late 20s appeared and greeted us with a big smile on her face. I glanced around the store. The walls were fitted with many racks and assorted wigs were hung on the racks. There were practically thousands of wigs.

"Welcome! How may I help you?" the woman, whom I assumed owned the shop because her name tag said 'Miki', asked politely.

"We're here to collect the wig my sister, Aoi Hyuuga, ordered yesterday. The pink one," Natsume said. He looked as though he was in torture. I bit back another laugh.

"Oh yes, Hyuuga-san did mention that her brother would come around to collect it." Miki nodded as she disappeared into the storeroom. She returned a minute later with a box in her hands. She removed the lid to reveal a pink wig. "It was an extremely rushed order, since Hyuuga-san only ordered it yesterday but wanted it ready by this afternoon. She said it was important. Since it is a rushed order, plus the fact that it's of the best quality, it will naturally be more expensive."

Natsume simply nodded impatiently. Miki cleared her throat, clearly uncomfortable.

"Is this lovely lady here going to wear the wig?" she asked, gesturing to me. _Lovely lady? _I could just see Natsume smirking. I blushed.

"Yeah," Natsume said in a well-duh-what-else-do-you-think kind of tone.

"Very well," Miki said swiftly, removing the wig from the box. "Should I put it on for you, Miss?"

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><p>I gazed in the full-length mirror in Aoi's room for the ninety-third time that day. I was camping out in Aoi's room with the envelope Natsume had given me because she'd invited me to. She'd said that she would appreciate a little company.<p>

"Wow, I still can't believe it. You totally look like Misaki-san," Aoi said in wonder, looking at me. My sentiments exactly. I was wearing the wig, which Miki had helped me put on and then kindly explained to me how to remove and wear it. I was also sporting pink contact lens and a short white, sleeveless dress with a big black ribbon bow in front of my chest. It was the kind of stuff I wouldn't be caught dead in, but I had to wear them now because they were Misaki-san's fashion style.

"I don't think I even look like myself anymore..." I mumbled. I was torn between my emotions- excited, scared, confused.

"You'll get used to it," Aoi promised. "And it's not as if you'll look like that forever... You'll take off your wig and lenses before you go to bed, right?"

I nodded silently, still looking in the mirror. Finally, I seemed to snap out of my trance and I picked up the MM folder, as I'd dubbed it. MM— Mikan-Misaki. I'd been reading it for the past two hours, and so far I'd learnt quite a bit about Misaki-san's life. I even knew what brand of sanitary napkins she used. (Ugh, how did Natsume even _know _which one she used? I didn't even want to think about it)

I learnt that Natsume's parents hardly ever came home and that Kaoru Igarashi, his mom, was in America while his dad, Hikaru Hyuuga, was in Egypt for business. _**(A/N: **In the manga/anime, the author never revealed Mr. Hyuuga's name, so I used the name Hikaru partly for a laugh, if you know what I mean. Hikaru and Kaoru. Does it ring a bell? ;) For the unwary, they're twins from Ouran High School Host Club, an awesome anime.) _By the end of the day, my brain was almost bursting with information. I even knew Misaki-san's friends from work. I think maybe, just maybe, I could manage this totally crazy, epic idea of the nutty Nattie, also known as Crazy Natsume Hyuuga. Oh my God, it rhymed! _Nutty Nattie_. Just call me the name-calling genius. Just joking. I could never compete with Nutty Nattie in the name-calling department.

**To Be Continued...**

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><p>Sorry for the long author's note in the last paragraph. XD Anyway, thank you so much for reading this and please leave a review! I'd totally appreciate it. Also, feel free to point out any errors, since I'm too lazy to re-read this already. Thanks! :)<p> 


	3. My New Life

**Author's Note: **Thank you for the reviews. :) I'm sorry for the late update. I've been busy with school and whenever I get home from school, I'll feel so tired and sleepy that I totally don't feel like writing. I apologise for the lousy chapter. ;A; And yep, I know nothing about law firms so I'm just gonna use my imagination for this, so don't blame me if it sucks. :3

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Gakuen Alice or any of its characters.

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><p><strong>It's Just an Act, Right?<br>**

**Chapter 3: My New Life**

_Who am I? It's an idiot-proof question, I know, but somehow I can't answer it._

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><p><strong>Mikan's POV<strong>

White Christian Dior blouse- checked. Armani blazer and pencil skirt- checked. Black Prada stilettos- checked. _Yes, _you got that right. Christian Dior, Armani and Prada. How in the world can a receptionist afford designer clothes? Well, apparently a receptionist whose future in-laws own two mega companies. I smoothed out my new pink hair and did one last twirl in front of the mirror. Perfect.

I padded downstairs to grab some breakfast.

"Good morning, Misaki-san," Aoi said brightly, winking. She was at the dining table, sipping cappuccino and dressed smartly in a black suit. She was, not surprisingly, a lawyer at Igarashi's Law Firm.

"'Morning, Aoi," I grinned back and picked up a piece of toast. I stuffed it in my mouth and held it between my teeth while I went over to the shoe rack and rooted about for some shoes, preferably comfy ballet flats. I finally discover a pair of black and slightly scruffy flats and pull them on with relief.

Aoi raised an eyebrow. "No heels?"

I simply shook my head. "Nope. I can't stand heels."

"Anyway..." she scraped back her chair. "We'd better get going to the law firm anyway. Don't wanna be late. Are you coming with me?"

"Sure." I nodded, grabbing my white suede bag. "Let's go."

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><p>Igarashi's Law Firm was sure enormous. It was a modern building mostly made up of huge glass windows and they were glinting so brightly in the sunlight that it hurt to even look at the building.<p>

"Come on!" Aoi laughed. She pulled on my arm and dragged me into the building.

Oh, wow. The foyer was gorgeous, unlike my previous workplace. _Hah! Eat your heart out, Sumire Shouda. _I was admiring the big pot of ferns and flowers arranged tastefully that was placed in the centre when Aoi said, "So, I'll be working late tonight. Natsume-nii will be sending a chauffeur for you. I'll see you later!" I barely nodded, still too entranced by my surroundings.

"Misaki, there you are!" a woman strode over to me, her high-heels making a soft clicking sound on the marble floor. "You've disappeared for _weeks! _Do you have any idea how I had to work your shift too?" Her strawberry-blonde hair hung just an inch below her toned shoulders and she was wearing a simple white blouse, grey blazer and grey jeans. I recognised her as Luna Koizumi from the file. A scowl flickered past her face before she quickly camouflaged it with a grin.

"Just kidding! I appreciated the work, actually... I needed the money. So I should thank you, shouldn't I?" she winked and gave me a somewhat sickly sweet smile. Oh God, it must be my imagination. I must be a mean person deep-down. I mean, someone was smiling at me and I was thinking that she was a hypocrite? Man, I _was _the hypocrite here.

"I should buy you a drink, don't you think?" she smiled. _Was that a little furrow between her brows? Like, she actually doesn't want to buy me a drink? _Oh, crap, I was really paranoid.

"You don't have to. I'm sorry I disappeared for such a long time," I replied.

"Oh, that's too bad! Next time, then?" I could swear there was a hint of relief in her eyes. And she _didn't _mean it. She didn't want to buy me a drink. I knew she didn't. And I just _know _that I'm not being too paranoid. Well, maybe.

"Yes, next time," I forced a smile. "Maybe," I added as an afterthought. "You know, I might be too busy."

"But of course! I suppose you'll be busy with your... marriage planning?" Luna scrunched up her nose, as if the thought of marriage was revolting to her.

"Well, I guess so." I nodded absentmindedly. "I, um, can't wait to get married to Natsume. He's, er, really sweet! And we've been living together. It's been really awesome this past few months." I emphasized on the word _months. _

"Definitely," Luna said curtly, rolling her eyes. It was as if she'd dropped all pretense of being nice and trying to be friendly. "I guess you two have _really _been hitting it off, hm? Who am I kidding? You two are practically lovers from the cradle!" she drawled, her voice scathing and her smile icy. "Enjoy your marriage life!" The way she said it sounded like she wanted to say, _'Have fun being tortured by your stupid fucking marriage, bitch.' _

"I will," I tried to sound matter-of-fact, but my voice was trembling. Just _who_ was this woman? Well, yes, she was a Satan spawn called Luna Koizumi. But what _was _it to her? Had Misaki ever done anything that made her hate her so much?

"Well," the blonde hitched up a corner of her full lips. "Have fun!"

"Luna, what's taking you so long?" a woman with long dark blue hair came up to us. "Misaki!" her eyes lit up in recognition when her eyes landed on me. "How nice to see you again! How has life been treating you?"

"Fab!" I said, smiling faintly. Who was she? After the encounter with Luna, I had absolutely no bloody plan to ever meet any of my colleagues. The woman scrutinised me curiously. "So! Did you know that Yura was caught in the pantry with Hiro?" Her dark blue eyes twinkled. Okay, who the heck were they? My brain had officially switched off. I didn't even want to _know _my bloody colleagues. That Luna bitch had absolutely spoiled my mood. I just wanted to get this job done with for the day and _leave. _

"Um, lovely! I've always liked Hiro! His, er, services are great!" I nodded as though I knew what I was saying. Hiro must be some lawyer in the firm. Well, who else could he be?

"Services?" the woman looked blankly at me. "My dear Misaki, you must have been away for so long that you've forgotten stuff! Hiro is a _dog._"

I stared back at her as though she was an alien. "Dog. Well, of course! Er, so what has that got to do with anything?"

"Hiro is Yura's dog! Well, who would have thought that she, the goody-two-shoes, of all people, would bring her dog to work?" she laughed chirpily. "Anyway, glad to see you're back! You _need _to get back on tracks. Talk to you later! Ta!" She grinned, clapped Luna on her back and they sauntered to the front door together, chatting about nail varnish and spas. O...kay. That was... weird. I mean, I should have known that lawyers do not have a sense of humour. Like getting caught in the pantry with a _dog _is worth any gossip.

I collapsed on the chair behind the contemporary receptionist's desk. Okay. Time to get down to work and _get the hell out of here. _The phone rang almost immediately.

I pick up the phone and said in my best, charming voice, "Good morning. Igarashi's Law Firm. How may I help you?"

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><p>Finally, finally, finally. I was beginning to think that work would never end. I picked up my bag with a sigh of relief and trudged towards the main door. Just when I thought I'd safely got through the first day of work, my phone blasted out a cheerful tune. I flipped it open and stared at the bright screen in horror. The name 'Luna Koizumi' blinked up at me.<p>

With shaking fingers, I clicked on the 'answer call' button. "H-Hello?"

"Misaki," the same dangerously smooth voice said.

"W-What's up?" I managed to say.

"Oh, nothing," she answered breezily. "Just wanted to ask if you're interested to join me for a drink. You know, I owe you one, don't I? Nonoko left early, so I figured you might like to join me?"

"No t-" I began, but was cut off by a familiar low voice saying crossly, "How long do you plan to stay there, woman? I want to get back home."

I gulped and spun around. Natsume was standing behind me, dressed in a simple black suit with the tie hanging loosely around his neck and two of the buttons of his white shirt unbuttoned. His hair was even messier than usual, but in a good way. I felt my heart slamming against my ribs but ignored the fluttery feeling in my chest.

"Ah, Natsume-sama, is it? Could you possibly put me through to him, darling? Hm?" Luna purred. She must have heard Natsume's voice.

"Err... fine." I held out the phone to Natsume and mouthed, "Luna Koizumi?"

He frowned and paused before snatching the phone from my fingers. He pressed it to his ear for a couple of minutes. There was the occasional 'hn' and 'tch' from Natsume's mouth. His brows were still furrowed in an annoyed way. Finally, he hissed, "Shut the hell up and get your ass out of my life." Scowling, he snapped the cellphone shut and tossed it back to me.

"You. Don't go near that woman, is that clear?" His eyes were burning with something dark and mysterious. Those crimson eyes were even scarier than usual.

I nodded and swallowed, not trusting myself to speak. Just _who _is Luna Koizumi?

**To Be Continued...**

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><p>I know it's a short and lame chapter, but I wanted to update this to let you guys know that I'm still alive. ._. I'll try my best to make the next chapter longer and better! It won't be any time soon though. ._. But there will be more drama, promise. :)) And my 'o' key is freaking annoying and stiff (Anyone has any solution to this? T^T It's so hard to type an 'o'. OTL), so I'm not really in the mood to type. ;A; <strong>Reviews are very much appreciated though.<strong> **:)** Advanced Happy Chinese New Year to everyone, especially those celebrating it! (like me :D) ^^


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